newb to this..help please

[snakemann87]

Currently I am babysitting two goldfish for my neighbors. I have the tank on my desk and when I walk in it looks REALLY nice with the lighting on. I am very interested in getting a small aquarium for my room. MY questions are: what is the best first fish, although nothing basic like a goldfish, how big of an aquarium, all items i need to buy for it, etc.

P.S.- I am very interested in the shark like fish, such as the redtail and bala shark. Also I dont want to spend too much on my first aquarium. THanks in advance

Don

[Darlene]

I've never kept the 'sharks' myself but have looked into them. One thing you'll have to find out is the size they will grow to as I know nothing about that part of them. I can suggest Walmart for your first aquarium kit. They have some really nice set-ups in 5, 10 & 20 gallon sizes. They come with everything you'll need to get going at a very good price. Some of the sharks are not difficult keepers. You'll need a temp of 75 - 80 degrees. My tanks stay around 75 without their own heat source & my tropicals do well. A 10 g should be fine for 3-6 of those guys. My friend has 4 in a 10 g & they're between 2 -3 inches full size. I am just not sure of their type. She keeps them at room temp , too. She has hiding spots in her decor that they love to be in also. Other fish I have found not too difficult are guppies , tetra , platties , swordtails , angelfish & catfish. That's in my own experience. A site you may want to browse is www.aquariumhobbyist.com. Keep in mind if you get a large growing one that you may have to get a larger set-up later. My friends largest shark is about a foot long & is in a 60 g that she soon hopes to replace with a bigger one. Hope that is a little help. Contact me anytime , Dar.

[snakemann87]

Thank you for the response, I've been waiting The bala shark grow to 12 inches, so I am going to hold off. I am taking your advice and going to start off small, with a nice tank from walmart for now. Im not sure on the type of fish yet. Id appreciate your opinion. I am getting a 5 gallon most likely. What are some nice(cheap) fish that will fit in there?? Also my friend has some eels?? They arent real eels just look alikes. Are these difficult?

[Tinytim12333]

I would suggest getting a Chinise Fighting Fish with that small of a tank. If u get a ten gallon i would suggest 2-4 Mollies or platys and u dont need an algea eater mollies work just as good or better than them. I had an algea eater that got 12 in. long in a 30 gallon tank but it was 10 years old when it died from ich. It survived fin rot three times, over chlorinated tap water four times, various parsites approx. 12 times. Always look at the fish very closely before you buy it and all the other fish in the same tank and look for dead, dying, sick fish, that how my algea eater got all the diseases. Look for decaying fins, little cotton like spots on the fish, over exessive slime, pink bumps w/ or w/ out weird little worm like thingd coming in and out, and look in the water if you can see any floating or swimming things in the water that are not fish or bubbles. You can see small worms, and parasites floating around. Never give live food unless it is a very reputable store. Theres always flake or pellets for your fish. Also there is sometime frozen fish food like brine shrimp, blood worms etc. I suggest giving one tab of it once a week cuz mollies or platys love them and they are good protein for the pregnant ones. Theres my $.02. Hope i helped. I just love fish so ya know. I just want the fish not to die the day or week after u buy it.

[Shane Tesser]

If your going with a 5-10 gallon...platys, molly's (however they do like a bit of salt), some neons, perhaps some raboras. Keep them cheap, keep them small and keep them few. Bala sharks if you want them require very big tanks, and redtails, red fin, albino redtails etc are so territorial that unless you have a giant tank..you cant keep more then one...infact that goes for the majority of the species. As for algae eaters....very few eat algae, but they do pick up the waste food that other fish miss (and all of the fish people are suggesting to you are top water feeders..so anything that goes past them..they will ignore anyways!)...which lands in the gravel, and throws your water quality out of whack within time...so yes...get at least one...plus you are a new comer and almost 100% likely to overfeed anyways! As for disease, if you quarenteen your fish off the start, you will have no problems...and furthermore, unless you do something like over crowd, or simple neglect..your fish will never have another disease...carefulness and planning are the key!

[snakemann87]

Thanks, I was suggested danios and tetras. But I am doing research on the species you suggested to me now. Thank you

[corr]

In a 10 gallon, I can only recommend a single redtail. They are very aggressive towards each other as adults and will eat smaller fish without hesitation. Balas get very large and are schooling fish. I would recommend nothing smaller than a 100 gallon for these (One of my dream tanks is a 180 with a large school of Balas).

Some suggestions for algae eaters are Otos (3 or 4), a small Pleco (clown or bristlenose), and if you are not keeping real plants, some snails will do the trick. Remember though, just because the tank looks clean, doesn't mean the water is. Regular water changes are a must.

I don't recommend putting Bettas in with mollies or platies (great hardy fish btw) because the mollies and platies look too much like female Bettas and may harrass them to the death.

There are SO many tetras that you could go with. Just go into a fish store, see what catches your eye and go from there. HTH

[Tinytim12333]

With mollies or platies you dont need and algea eater

[snakemann87]

ok. I am deciding to go with a bigger tank. I am extremely interested in the eels and "shark" like fish. Some names and links would be VERY greatly appreciated. I have SOME expierience, but it wasn't a serious thing(I was 8). I had a few zebra fish and a VERY sweet upside down catfish, and literally upside down.

I was wondering about the swordtail fish, angel fish, pirana(who doesnt??), pleco, discus, eels, any shark like fish, and any fascinating fish to watch. I am going to get at the least a 10 gallon, and at the most a 20 gallon. PLEASE if you could tell me size, difficulty, price range, etc on each fish. And since I'm new, point out any fish(even if I havent named it) that are a burmese or retic to the fish world. THANKS in advance!!

P.S.- if any of the fish require a bigger tank, tell me I mite go bigger.

[Youkai]

The only fish listed there that will be okay in a 20gallon is a small group of swords (as long as you mean the livebearers) and MAYBE a pair of angels. It's pushing it for sure for the angels - i wouldn't do it myself. Sharks should have at a bare minimum 50 gallons. All species labled as 'sharks' are either big schooling fish, or big territorial fish.
Discus...don't do it until you've had fish a while. And a large tank is a must.
As for piranah, I wouldn't do anything less then 100 gallons myself...

[snakemann87]

what do angels run for?? and i may get a 55 i saw one in the paper very cheap.

[Tinytim12333]

Most of those you named would need atleast 50 gal. tank if you dont just want one. I myself have a 30 gal. tank with ONE bluegill. These are very spectacular fish to watch while they eat and otherwise. They have spectacular colors. It will need a bigger tank in a while but not now.

[Shane Tesser]

Angels go from anywhere about 2.99-? in my area...just remember..they need a tall tank..and they are cichlids...so small fish with them when they reach adult size are a no!

[Darlene]

Hi there. I'll add another .02 on the fish you asked about but no one responded. I'm not positive that what you are refering to as eels really are. Most common in pet stores are loaches & a variety of these (not clowns) looks like a 2 - 3 inch eel. They are an easy to keep bottom feeder that eats shrimp pellets. Here they go for $3 - $4. I have 2 in an unheated 5g that stays around 75 - 77 deg. They like some salts in the water & a normal pH range of 6.8 - 7.2. Also in my 5g is a pleco that you asked about. His requirements are the same as the loaches. He is also a bottom feeder (shrimp pellets or other leftovers). He was $3. He keeps the tank very clean. I don't need him in it , I just like him. He will outgrow the tank eventually but I have other set-ups he can move to. Plecos aren't active fish & are most often seen stuck to the side. My son adores him & calls him his "dinosaur fish". The loaches on the other hand are very entertaining. To keep my 5g lit up I have a clip on desk lamp with a 20 watt bulb beside it. The loaches love it . At night they swim circles around the light. The only prob with this light is a green algae will form in front of it that looks like hair. A small net scoops it out & it is harmless. I have it for this tank on purpose as it is a great hideout for my baby platties. My best male & 2 females have their little ones in this tank. I move the babies out when they are 1/2 their parents size. Platties are live bearers & top feeders (tropical flakes are fine). Their requirements are similar to the loaches & pleco. They were $4 each. Consider swordtails (which are kind-of a fancy platty) , mollies , tetras , danios , guppies & gouramies all good for this type of set-up. My 2 loaches have an ornamental log to hide in (which pleco loves, too) & there is a fake plant for the 3 platties. Along with the pleco I consider this tank "full" any more then go to a 10g. As for the other fish I mentioned ; the guppy is a live-bearer who likes bloodworms ; mollies & swordtails are live-bearers & swordtails like a food variety (tropical flakes for the main diet with some bloodworms, shrimp pellets or goldfish flakes sometimes). The others all eat tropical flakes , too & like treats such as bloodworms, tropical crisps or color granules. All are nice communal fish with similar easy requirements. The only one I haven't had myself is the danio.These fish don't get much bigger then they are at the pet stores so you need larger tanks to have more of them not because they'll outgrow it ( except plecos). If you like interesting things with them I have had a lot of success in small tanks with the African dwarf frogs & the Japanese red-claw crabs ; just ask me! Hope there is some info here for you. Contact me anytime , Dar.

[Youkai]

I assumed with eels, he was talking about fire eels, tiretrack eels, etc. (Basically the Spiny eels) In which case, over 2' is pretty common...